Thomas Meehan News

Continuing a successful season of plays, The Ziegfeld Theater is pleased to bring audience favorite, HAIRSPRAY, to its stage, running tonight, August 14 - September 5, 2015.

Today in 2002, Hairspray opened at the Neil Simon Theatre, where it ran for 2642 performances. Hairspray is a musical with music by Marc Shaiman, lyrics by Scott Wittman and Shaiman and a book by Mark O'Donnell and Thomas Meehan, based on the 1988 John Waters film Hairspray. In 1962 Baltimore, Maryland, plump teenager Tracy Turnblad's dream is to dance on The Corny Collins Show, a local TV dance program. When Tracy wins a role on the show, she becomes a celebrity overnight. She then launches a campaign to integrate the show. Hairspray is a social commentary on the injustices of parts of American society in the 1960s.

Due to overwhelming demand, Theatre Under the Stars' (TUTS) critically acclaimed and celebrated summer hits Oliver! The Musical and Hairspray -- The Broadway Musical, will extend their runs by one week. The seven newly added performances will see the shows continue to run at Stanley Park's picturesque Malkin Bowl (on alternating evenings) through to August 29, 2015 as the second official hold over in TUTS' more than 70-year history.

Broadway composer Maury Yeston is flying in from New York to see at first hand the acclaimed new version of his Tony Award-winning musical Grand Hotel.

Woodminster Summer Musicals celebrated opening night of The Producers, the hit Broadway musical based on the 1968 Mel Brooks film of the same name. With a Book by Brooks and Thomas Meehan and Score by Brooks, The Producers won 12 out of its 15 Tony nominations in 2001. It tells the story of a down-on-his-luck Broadway producer and his nervous accountant, who together come up with a scheme to make a million dollars (each) by producing the worst flop in Broadway history. They embark on a search to find the worst script, the worst director, the worst designers, and the worst actors. The scheme backfires, with many comic consequences, when their gloriously offensive Springtime for Hitler turns out to be a huge hit. Running now through August 16 at Woodminster Amphitheater in Oakland's Joaquin Miller Park, The Producers is one show you won't want to miss.

Continuing a successful season of plays, The Ziegfeld Theater is pleased to bring audience favorite, HAIRSPRAY, to its stage, running August 14 - September 5, 2015.

The farcical yet message-loaded 'Hairspray' is the type of musical that in a bad production falls flat, but in a good production leaves the audience energized and dancing in the aisles. Fortunately the must see production at Porthouse Theatre is dynamic, creative, full of joy!

The Arvada Center has announced its six-play theatre season, an impressive line-up of plays and musicals that spread across several generations of the human experience.

Bravo to Chance Theater for taking on this mainstream hit and making it actually feel like a fresh, awesome little indie. Now playing through August 9, the latest offering from Orange County's bold, award-winning regional theater company is their own 'intimate' theater re-staging of HAIRSPRAY, the 2002 hit Tony Award-winning musical comedy. The results? Quite simply a more compact production that is an absolutely undeniable, all-around rousing winner. Under the direction of Kari Hayter, the celebratory production's immersive, semi-theater-in-the-round minimalist approach actually thrusts the show's outstanding music and comedy out front, wonderfully blanketing the audience in the show's pro-integration, pro-acceptance storyline about a rotund young lady with big hair and big dreams who sets off to change the world.

The Covedale Center for the Performing Arts, 4990 Glenway Avenue announces the Cincinnati Young People's Theatre's 34th annual summer musical - Hairspray running tonight, July 22 through Sunday, August 2, 2015!

Hershey Theatre will welcome the new U.S. National Tour of Annie to the stage from tonight, July 21, through Sunday, July 26.

Don't miss your chance to see ANNIE in Charlotte.

The original Broadway cast of CRY-BABY will take the stage at 54 Below for a reunion concert later this fall, according to the venue's official website. The concert will be performed twice on Sept. 17, once at 9:30 p.m. and then at 11:00 p.m.

Beginning tonight, July 16 and continuing through August 8, Sierra Stages presents the over-the-top Mel Brooks musical comedy 'THE PRODUCERS' at the historic Nevada Theatre in Nevada City.

Michael Harrison and David Ian are delighted to announce that Elaine C Smith will play the role of 'Miss Hannigan' in their brand new production of the musical "ANNIE" when the show plays the Edinburgh Playhouse (16 - 21 May). Listings detailed below. www.anniethemusicaltour.uk

Beginning July 16 and continuing through August 8, Sierra Stages presents the over-the-top Mel Brooks musical comedy 'THE PRODUCERS' at the historic Nevada Theatre in Nevada City. Winner of an unprecedented 12 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, 'THE PRODUCERS' has music and lyrics by Mel Brooks and a book by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan. The Sierra Stages production is directed by Susan Mason, with dance direction by George Jayne and musical direction by Ken Getz, who conducts the live theatre orchestra. BroadwayWorld has a sneak peek at the cast below!

Michael Harrison and David Ian are delighted to announce that Elaine C Smith will play the role of 'Miss Hannigan' in their brand new production of the musical 'ANNIE' when the show plays the King's Theatre Glasgow (8 - 20 February 2016), His Majesty's Theatre Aberdeen (9 - 14 May 2016) and Edinburgh Playhouse (16 - 21 May). Listings detailed below. www.anniethemusicaltour.uk

The York Theatre Company  will honor the legendary Angela Lansbury with the 2015 Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement in Musical Theatre on Monday, November 16, 2015 at Guastavino's, BroadwayWorld has learned.

Michael Rose and U-Live, the producers of Elf The Musical, will be donating all ticket sales at the Gala Opening Night at the Dominion Theatre on Thursday 5 November to Alzheimer's Society. The London premiere of ELF will star Ben Forster, Kimberley Walsh, Joe McGann and Jessica Martin and will play a strictly limited 10-week season at the Dominion Theatre from 24 October 2015 to 2 January 2016.

The Daily Mail unveiled new photos of ELF stars Ben Forster and Kimberley Walsh in costume for their winter run at the Dominion Theatre. Scroll down for a first look!